What
is a Wind
Mitigation
Inspection ?
The state of
Florida
REQUIRES
Insurance
Companies to
offer
REDUCED
RATES for
certain
Hurricane
resistant
features.
We will
document the
features
present in
your home
and produce
a report for
you to use
in your
request for
reduced
rates.
Why are
insurance
companies
offering the
discounts?
The state
legislation
adopted
provisions
for a new
statewide
building
code (the
2001 Florida
Building
Code), which
became
effective on
March 1,
2002. The
same
legislation
included a
requirement
for
insurance
companies to
provide
property
insurance
discounts
for homes
that have
construction
features
that reduce
the losses
in
windstorms.
Each
insurance
company was
required to
submit new
rates by
February 28,
2003 and
include
discounts
for wind
damage
reduction
(mitigation)
construction
features.
The
discounts
are
justified
because
stronger,
more
wind-resistive
houses have
lower
windstorm
losses, and
lower
windstorm
losses mean
reduced
costs to
insurance
companies.
The
insurance
discounts
provide some
financial
incentives
for
homeowners
to
strengthen
their
existing
homes and
for new
construction
to be built
to the
strongest
options in
the Florida
Building
Code. These
new
insurance
rate
discounts in
Florida
began to
take place
in 2003.
They apply
to both
existing
construction
(houses
built prior
to 2002) and
new
construction
built to the
new
statewide
Florida
Building
Code (FBC).
To qualify
for these
discounts,
most
insurance
companies
require a
certification
of the key
construction
features.
A
Windstorm
Mitigation
Inspection
is a
valuable
inspection
service that
may reduce
your
windstorm
insurance.Insurance
discounts
are
available
for building
features
that reduce
damage
during high
wind events.
The
discounts
are
justified
because
stronger,
more
wind-resistive
structures
have lower
windstorm
losses,
which mean
reduced
costs to
insurance
companies.Most
existing
structures
have one or
more wind
resistive
construction
features and
may qualify
for some
insurance
discounts.
The state of
Florida
REQUIRES
Insurance
Companies to
offer
REDUCED
RATES for
certain
Hurricane
resistant
features.
We will
document the
features
present in
your home
and produce
a report for
you to use
in your
request for
reduced
rates. Windstorm
Mitigation
Inspections
must be
performed by
Certified Wind
Mitigation
Inspectors.
Uniform
Mitigation
Verification
Inspection
Form
(OIR-B1-1802)
– This
form was
developed by
the Office
of Insurance
Regulation
and must be
completed
and signed
by a
Qualified
Inspector
(see below).
QUALIFIED
INSPECTORS
• A
Florida
licensed
general,
residential
or building
contractor
• A
licensed
building
inspector
• A
registered
architect
• An
engineer in
the State of
Florida
• A
building
code
official
(who is duly
authorized
by the State
of Florida
or its
county’s
municipalities
to verify
building
code
compliance). |
